Junior Espen Kofstad captured his first SBC individual crown with an 8-under par 208 performance

 

SBC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL 

 

HOUSTON, Texas Junior Espen Kofstad (Oslo, Norway) captured his first SBC individual crown as the University of Denver men’s golf team finished in second place at the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Championships at the Cypresswood Golf Club in Houston, Texas. Head coach Eric Hoos was also honored by the SBC as Co-Coach of the Year along with Middle Tennessee’s Whit Turnbow and New Orleans’ Chris McCarter.

 

Playing on the 7,220 yard par 72 Tradition Course, the Pioneer men posted a 2-over par 290 in the final round of competition to finish the three-day tournament with a 2-over par 872, six strokes behind SBC Champion Middle Tennessee.

 

“It was a great victory for Espen today and we are all very proud of the way he competed,” Hoos said. “As a team, we made too many mistakes early and made it tough for ourselves to come back. I’m proud of the way our team rallied and now we await a bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.”

 

Kofstad shot an even-par 36 on the front nine that included two birdies and followed it up with a 4-under par 32 on the back nine that featured an eagle on hole 12 and two birdies on hole 10 and 18 to finish the day with a 4-under par 68. For the tournament, Kofstad finished five strokes ahead of the field with an 8-under par 208 to capture his first SBC crown and his second All-Conference honor as a Pioneer.

 

Seniors Chris Gilman (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Jeff Koprivetz (Yorba Linda, Calif.) finished the tournament tied for 28th with three-round scores of 8-over par 224. Gilman turned in a third round score of 6-over par 78, while Koprivetz shot a 1-over par 73 for the day.

 

Senior Daniel Wax (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) finished tied for 33rd with a three-day total of 9-over par 225 after posting a third-round score of 3-over par 75. For his performance during the tournament and season, Wax was also honored with All-Conference honors by the SBC.

 

Sophomore Klinton Krieger (Cheyenne, Wyo.) rounded out the scoring for the Pioneers as he finished tied for 41st with an 11-over par 227 for the tournament. Krieger posted a 2-over par 74 on the final day, matching his low round score that he tallied after the first round.

 

The Pioneers will now await selection to the NCAA Regional Championships that are set to begin on Thursday, May 14 to Saturday, May 16.

 

Men’s All-Conference Team

Lloyd du Perez (Arkansas State)

Tyler Thompson (Arkansas State)

Espen Kofstad (Denver)

Daniel Wax (Denver)

Chas Narramore (Middle Tennessee)

Jason Millard (Middle Tennessee)

Nathan Sheen (North Texas)

Clarke Kincaid (North Texas)

Kyle Pritchard  (Louisiana-Lafayette)

Dustin Petit (Louisiana-Lafayette)

Marc-Ettienne Bussieres (South Alabama)

Jack Hiluta (South Alabama)

 

 Men’s Medalist

Espen Kofstad (Denver)

 

Men’s Freshman of the Year

Philipp Fendt (Louisiana-Lafayette)

 

Men’s Co-Coaches of the Year

Eric Hoos (Denver)

Whit Turnbow (Middle Tennessee)

Chris McCarter (New Orleans)

 

- PIONEERS -